We all have something inside us we struggle with...
" I never promised you a rose garden. I never promised you perfect justice and I never promised you peace or happiness. My help is that so you can be free to fight for all of these things. The only reality I offer is challenge, and being well is being free to accept it or not at whatever level you are capable. I never promise lies, and the rose-garden world of perfection is a lie...and a bore too!" (Joanne Greenburg. Pg. 106)
Summary:
Enter the mind of sixteen year old, Deborah Blau. Rejected be peers when she was younger because she was a jew, and traumatized by urethal cancer in her childhood, she created a kingdom of her own to escape to in her mind. Her kingdom is called Yr, and there she is the queen. She can shapeshift into anything she wants, and with the help of the gods in this kingdom they help her rule. In Yr they have a language of their own called Yri. The gods in Yr help Deborah to censor out what she says and does, to keep the kingdom of Yr a secret. Reality becomes harder for Deborah to grasp onto as the kindgom of Yr becomes stronger and the gods come to have more power over her than intended. The gods soon have control over her and they run Deborah's life with tyranny. The god's break her down, tell her she's not like everyone else, tell her everyone's a liar, and that everyone just wants to bring her harm. The so called gods in her kingdom are actually just part of her. Deborah suffers from Schizophrenia.
Soon Deborah is slipping further and further into Yr. Wanting to have nothing to do with the real world, she retreats into Yr where the gods use her insecurities and problems against her. After Deborah's attempt at suicide Esther and Jacob Blau, her parents, send her to a mental insitution. There she makes friends, learns to find herself, and to fight the power of Yr and the gods. With the help of her pyschiatrist Dr. Fried they set on a journey to help Deborah find reality and forget the existence of Yr.
Why Outstanding Book?
This book is outstanding because it gives a great theme. The theme is not matter how hard life can get, pulling through is possible. Even when life isn't as nice as a rose-garden, giving up isn't the way. The only way to know if you're living, is if you are fighting.
Would I reccomend this book?
I would most definitely reccomend this book. I never promised you a rose garden is unique, brilliant, and different from any other books I've read. Joanne Greenberg's novel was able to make me feel as if I were Deborah myself. The book took me into Deborah's mind and gave an interesting perspective in things. If I had to rate this book out of a 10, I would give it a 9.
Characters:
Jacob Blau: Deborah's father
Esther Blau: Deborah's mother
Suzy Blau: Deborah's sister
Dr. Fried: Deborah's psychiatrist
The gods or Yr (parts of Deborah):
Anterrabae: God that is eternally falling through darkness
Lactamaeon: Usually the saracastic mocking voice.
Censor: The part of Deborah that stopped Yr from coming into the world. The censor eventually became like a dictator.
The Collect: Group of voices and images. The collect is actually Deborah's own critical thought.
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden:
By: Joanne Greenberg
We all have something inside us we struggle with...
" I never promised you a rose garden. I never promised you perfect justice and I never promised you peace or happiness. My help is that so you can be free to fight for all of these things. The only reality I offer is challenge, and being well is being free to accept it or not at whatever level you are capable. I never promise lies, and the rose-garden world of perfection is a lie...and a bore too!" (Joanne Greenburg. Pg. 106)
Summary:
Enter the mind of sixteen year old, Deborah Blau. Rejected be peers when she was younger because she was a jew, and traumatized by urethal cancer in her childhood, she created a kingdom of her own to escape to in her mind. Her kingdom is called Yr, and there she is the queen. She can shapeshift into anything she wants, and with the help of the gods in this kingdom they help her rule. In Yr they have a language of their own called Yri. The gods in Yr help Deborah to censor out what she says and does, to keep the kingdom of Yr a secret. Reality becomes harder for Deborah to grasp onto as the kindgom of Yr becomes stronger and the gods come to have more power over her than intended. The gods soon have control over her and they run Deborah's life with tyranny. The god's break her down, tell her she's not like everyone else, tell her everyone's a liar, and that everyone just wants to bring her harm. The so called gods in her kingdom are actually just part of her. Deborah suffers from Schizophrenia.
Soon Deborah is slipping further and further into Yr. Wanting to have nothing to do with the real world, she retreats into Yr where the gods use her insecurities and problems against her. After Deborah's attempt at suicide Esther and Jacob Blau, her parents, send her to a mental insitution. There she makes friends, learns to find herself, and to fight the power of Yr and the gods. With the help of her pyschiatrist Dr. Fried they set on a journey to help Deborah find reality and forget the existence of Yr.
Why Outstanding Book?
This book is outstanding because it gives a great theme. The theme is not matter how hard life can get, pulling through is possible. Even when life isn't as nice as a rose-garden, giving up isn't the way. The only way to know if you're living, is if you are fighting.
Would I reccomend this book?
I would most definitely reccomend this book. I never promised you a rose garden is unique, brilliant, and different from any other books I've read. Joanne Greenberg's novel was able to make me feel as if I were Deborah myself. The book took me into Deborah's mind and gave an interesting perspective in things. If I had to rate this book out of a 10, I would give it a 9.
Characters:
Jacob Blau: Deborah's father
Esther Blau: Deborah's mother
Suzy Blau: Deborah's sister
Dr. Fried: Deborah's psychiatrist
The gods or Yr (parts of Deborah):
Anterrabae: God that is eternally falling through darkness
Lactamaeon: Usually the saracastic mocking voice.
Censor: The part of Deborah that stopped Yr from coming into the world. The censor eventually became like a dictator.
The Collect: Group of voices and images. The collect is actually Deborah's own critical thought.
Works Cited:
Picture: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0451160312.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg&imgrefurl=http://reader2.com/cowgirlout/author:Greenberg,Joanne&h=500&w=309&sz=33&hl=en&start=8&tbnid=W2F8NtICL_HbpM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=80&prev=/images%3Fq%3DI%2Bnever%2Bpromised%2Byou%2Ba%2Brose%2Bgarden%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff
Qoute:
Joanne Greenberg. Pg 106